---
title: "Polestar Makes Bittersweet Instagram Post Signaling End of Volvo Era"
description: "Goodbye, quirky old friend."
date: "2017-09-25"
modified: "2017-09-26"
authors:
  - name: "Caleb Jacobs"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/caleb-jacobs"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/article/14623/polestar-makes-bittersweet-instagram-post-signaling-end-of-volvo-era"
categories:
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
  - "Volvo News"
tags:
  - "EV News"
  - "Performance Cars"
  - "Polestar"
---

# Polestar Makes Bittersweet Instagram Post Signaling End of Volvo Era

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2017/09/volvo-polestar-hero-image.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

It was announced [earlier in the year](<https://www.thedrive.com/tech/11758/its-electric-volvo-spins-off-polestar-into-performance-ev-brand>) that everyone's favorite Swedish performance sub-brand, Polestar, would be separated off from Volvo to become a purely electric sports car manufacturer. Instead of taking normal consumer models like the [S60 and V60](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/3345/meet-volvos-2017-polestar-v60-and-s60>) and tuning them to the high heavens, it will now develop its own bespoke examples [that are strictly electric](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/12138/volvo-declares-end-of-internal-combustion-engine-electrifying-fleet-starting-in-2019>). While we all knew it was coming, Polestar made a post to its official Instagram account that finalized its long-standing cooperation with the Volvo brand.

Simply stating "The End," Polestar opened another chapter in its long sport-inspired history. It started out originally as [Polestar Cyan Racing](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/6505/watch-volvos-2-400-hp-iron-knight-truck-race-a-volvo-s60-polestar-race-car>), which was founded in 1996, and went onto win seven team championships during a hugely successful run in the 2000s. Following its presence in touring car racing, it became the in-house tuning arm of Volvo, much like Mercedes' AMG and BMW's M division.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZdwUqMh4Z2

Final encore models tuned by Polestar include the freshly-introduced [Volvo XC60 T8](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/12298/polestar-pushes-volvo-xc60-to-421-hp-with-new-performance-pack>), a plug-in hybrid model that the branch took on and turned up to 421 horsepower. It's this kind of innovation and engineering that made Polestar unique to the rest of the crowd, and although its next move will be even more forward-thinking, we won't be able to help but miss the [quirky go-fast Swedes](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/10662/the-volvo-s60-polestar-held-the-four-door-ring-record-for-two-months-last-year>) that the brand has churned out in recent years.

According to company executives, Polestar will now aim at Tesla to make "world-beating" machines that top the performance EV segment. No specifics have been unveiled yet, but rumor states that the company's first model could be a [Polestar-specific platform](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/12421/polestar-wants-to-make-a-600-hp-coupe-as-its-first-bespoke-model-report-says>) that carries 600 units of all-electric horsepower.

## Author
Caleb Jacobs is The Drive’s senior editor. When he’s not searching for stories or poring over copy, he’s usually driving his dump truck or wishing it was running so he could drive it. He was born and raised in the Missouri Ozarks, and he lives there today with his family.

### Author social links  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/caleb-jacobs-319323119>)  
[Instagram](<https://instagram.com/calebjwords>)  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/calebjacobs0611>)